Carib Beer Cup
Encyclopedia
The Regional Four Day Competition, formerly known as Shell Shield and Carib Beer Cup, is the first class cricket
competition in the West Indies
, it is administered by the West Indies Cricket Board
. The winners of the tournament are awarded the George Headley
/Everton Weekes
trophy.
The competition is contested between seven Caribbean teams and, on occasion, touring sides from other countries. Four of the Caribbean teams, Barbados
, Guyana
, Jamaica
and Trinidad and Tobago, come from individual countries while two teams, the Leeward Islands
and the Windward Islands
, which previously competed together as the Combined Islands
, are each from multiple countries and territories. Since the 2007–08 season the Combined Campuses and Colleges cricket team
have been included in the competition.
The current structure of the tournament is a round-robin league system followed by semi-finals and a final. In the past there was no knock-out stage and it was possible for the winners to share the trophy. Barbados
have won the most titles, with nineteen (and one shared), while Jamaica, who are the current champions, have won eleven titles.
The following teams have also made appearances in the competition:
. Matches were played intermittently in the 1860s, 1870s and 1880s, with Demerara being the centre - Jamaica didn't play first class games until 1895, while the first Barbados v Trinidad match took place in 1891. Because of the distances involved and travelling costs, there were only three teams in the Inter-Colonial Tournament
, which began in 1891 and had 28 instalments until it was finally discontinued in 1939. All three teams, Barbados, British Guiana (now Guyana) and Trinidad won more than five times. Jamaica had first-class status, but played few games (22 in their first 30 years), though they usually played touring teams from England, and when the West Indies got Test
status in 1928 that increased the amount of games played by Jamaica as well.
In the World War II
years, there was no official Inter-Colonial tournament, but matches were still played between the three teams who had competed for it, and this continued after the war – but now with Jamaica joining in, too. In 1956, British Guiana hosted a four-team knock-out tournament, and this was repeated five years later but now with the Combined Islands joining in. The final unofficial tournament (which does not appear on records in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
or Cricinfo
) was held in 1964, with Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica and Trinidad competing in a league, which British Guiana won.
), and the five teams that had contested the 1961 knock-out competed in a round robin league, with two home matches and two away matches for each team. This format and name remained until 1981–82, when the Combined Islands were split by the West Indies Cricket Board, but that only meant that the season was lengthened to five games a team. Barbados won most of the early tournaments, with nine titles of a possible 14 from 1965–66 to 1979–80, before the Combined Islands won their first title in 1980–81 after four runners-up spots in the preceding six seasons - becoming the last of the five teams to win a title.
Barbados won three more titles before the tournament was restricted in the 1986–87 season – instead of a round robin league, there were now two round robin groups, determined by geography. The league was back for the next season, however, renamed to Red Stripe Cup (from the beer brand Red Stripe
). Leeward Islands won their first title in 1989–90, winning all five games in the league, but Barbados were back on top for the following season. No team managed to win for two seasons in a row for the next fourteen seasons, though Leeward Islands and Barbados exchanged the trophy for six seasons between 1993–94 and 1998–99. The WICB experimented with the format in these seasons - the 1995–96 saw a final match being played, while 1996–97 had a home-and-away round robin format (so ten matches in total). The following season, the Red Stripe withdrew as sponsor, and the tournament had to be renamed the President's Cup - and cut down to five matches a team once again. For 1998–99, the soft drink Busta came in as the tournament became the Busta Cup, and the tournament now got a semi-final and a final appended after the round robin.
Barbados and Jamaica dominated the 2000s, as they have shared the first six titles of the millennium – Barbados becoming the first team to defend their title since Jamaica did it in 1989. The 2000s also saw attempts to include teams from other nations, as England A
, Bangladesh A
, India A and Kenya
all competed (in chronological order, one team each season), along with a university side known as West Indies B. The semi-finals were removed for the 2004–05 as was the West Indies B team and the tournament returned to a six-team league - this time with home and away matches, so a ten-game league with a final match between the top two teams. In the 2005-06 season the league returned to one round robin series so teams play five games before the top two play the Final.
Points are to be awarded as follows:
The above winners are of the league phase, since 2005/06 there has been a knock-out tournament (Carib Beer International Challenge) with qualification based on league position. In 2005/06 four teams progressed to the knock-out phase, initial league winners Trinidad and Tobago won the final against Barbados. In 2006/07 only the top two teams qualified, Barbados (as league champions) and Trinidad and Tobago (as league runners-up). The league form was reversed as Trinidad and Tobago defended their title with a 49 run win. Trinidad and Tobago reached their third successive final in 2007/08, this time losing to Jamaica. In 2008/09 the knock-out Carib Beer Challenge was discontinued.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
competition in the West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
, it is administered by the West Indies Cricket Board
West Indies Cricket Board
The West Indies Cricket Board is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in the West Indies...
. The winners of the tournament are awarded the George Headley
George Headley
George Alphonso Headley was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches, mostly before the Second World War. Considered one of the best batsmen to play for West Indies and one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Headley also represented Jamaica and played professional club cricket in...
/Everton Weekes
Everton Weekes
Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, KCMG, GCM, OBE is a leading former West Indian cricketer. Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of West Indian cricket.-Youth and early career:...
trophy.
The competition is contested between seven Caribbean teams and, on occasion, touring sides from other countries. Four of the Caribbean teams, Barbados
Barbados national cricket team
The Barbadian cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Barbados.It does not take part in any international competitions , but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, and the best players may be...
, Guyana
Guyana national cricket team
The Guyana cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Guyana.It does not take part in any international competitions, but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Carib Beer Cup and the KFC Cup, and the best players may be selected for the West Indies...
, Jamaica
Jamaica national cricket team
The Jamaica national cricket team is the representative first-class cricket team of Jamaica.-History:The team's history lasts back to 1895, when they played three matches against a touring side from England led by Slade Lucas, but because of the distance to the other cricketing countries, Jamaica...
and Trinidad and Tobago, come from individual countries while two teams, the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands cricket team
The Leeward Islands cricket team is a first class cricket team representing the member countries of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, a regional association which again is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. Contrary to the normal English definition of the Leeward Islands, Dominica is not...
and the Windward Islands
Windward Islands cricket team
The Windward Islands cricket team is a cricket team representing the member countries of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control. The team plays in the West Indies regional tournament....
, which previously competed together as the Combined Islands
Combined Islands cricket team
The Combined Islands cricket team were a cricket team that represented the cricket-playing islands of the Lesser Antilles, excluding Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago who fielded their own teams. They played in 13 Shell Shield tournaments from 1965-66 to 1980-81, when they won their first title and...
, are each from multiple countries and territories. Since the 2007–08 season the Combined Campuses and Colleges cricket team
Combined Campuses and Colleges cricket team
Combined Campuses and Colleges is a first-class cricket team that plays in the West Indies domestic competitions of Carib Beer Cup and KFC Cup. The team was created for the 2007/08 season and played their first matches in the KFC Cup one-day competition in October 2007...
have been included in the competition.
The current structure of the tournament is a round-robin league system followed by semi-finals and a final. In the past there was no knock-out stage and it was possible for the winners to share the trophy. Barbados
Barbados national cricket team
The Barbadian cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Barbados.It does not take part in any international competitions , but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, and the best players may be...
have won the most titles, with nineteen (and one shared), while Jamaica, who are the current champions, have won eleven titles.
Competing teams
The following teams have competed in every tournament since the 2007–08 season:- BarbadosBarbados national cricket teamThe Barbadian cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Barbados.It does not take part in any international competitions , but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, and the best players may be...
- GuyanaGuyana national cricket teamThe Guyana cricket team is the representative first class cricket team of Guyana.It does not take part in any international competitions, but rather in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Carib Beer Cup and the KFC Cup, and the best players may be selected for the West Indies...
- JamaicaJamaica national cricket teamThe Jamaica national cricket team is the representative first-class cricket team of Jamaica.-History:The team's history lasts back to 1895, when they played three matches against a touring side from England led by Slade Lucas, but because of the distance to the other cricketing countries, Jamaica...
- Leeward IslandsLeeward Islands cricket teamThe Leeward Islands cricket team is a first class cricket team representing the member countries of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, a regional association which again is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. Contrary to the normal English definition of the Leeward Islands, Dominica is not...
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Windward IslandsWindward Islands cricket teamThe Windward Islands cricket team is a cricket team representing the member countries of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control. The team plays in the West Indies regional tournament....
- Combined Campuses and CollegesCombined Campuses and Colleges cricket teamCombined Campuses and Colleges is a first-class cricket team that plays in the West Indies domestic competitions of Carib Beer Cup and KFC Cup. The team was created for the 2007/08 season and played their first matches in the KFC Cup one-day competition in October 2007...
The following teams have also made appearances in the competition:
- England Lions - 2000–01 (as England A), 2010–11
- West Indies B - 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04
- Bangladesh ABangladesh A cricket teamThe Bangladesh A cricket team is a cricket team representing Bangladesh, and is the "second tier" of international Bangladeshi cricket below the full Bangladeshi cricket team. The team played its first game, against the full Pakistan side, in 2001/02...
- 2001–02 - India A - 2002–03
- Kenya - 2003–04
Origins
First-class cricket has been played in the West Indies since 1865, when Barbados beat Demerara (in what's now Guyana) at BridgetownBridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
. Matches were played intermittently in the 1860s, 1870s and 1880s, with Demerara being the centre - Jamaica didn't play first class games until 1895, while the first Barbados v Trinidad match took place in 1891. Because of the distances involved and travelling costs, there were only three teams in the Inter-Colonial Tournament
Inter-Colonial Tournament
The Inter-Colonial Tournament was the main first class cricket competition in the West Indies before World War II.- Competing teams :* Barbados* British Guiana* Trinidad...
, which began in 1891 and had 28 instalments until it was finally discontinued in 1939. All three teams, Barbados, British Guiana (now Guyana) and Trinidad won more than five times. Jamaica had first-class status, but played few games (22 in their first 30 years), though they usually played touring teams from England, and when the West Indies got Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
status in 1928 that increased the amount of games played by Jamaica as well.
In the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
years, there was no official Inter-Colonial tournament, but matches were still played between the three teams who had competed for it, and this continued after the war – but now with Jamaica joining in, too. In 1956, British Guiana hosted a four-team knock-out tournament, and this was repeated five years later but now with the Combined Islands joining in. The final unofficial tournament (which does not appear on records in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
or Cricinfo
Cricinfo
ESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
) was held in 1964, with Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica and Trinidad competing in a league, which British Guiana won.
History of the competition
The regular competition began in the 1965–66, named the Shell Shield (after sponsors Royal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
), and the five teams that had contested the 1961 knock-out competed in a round robin league, with two home matches and two away matches for each team. This format and name remained until 1981–82, when the Combined Islands were split by the West Indies Cricket Board, but that only meant that the season was lengthened to five games a team. Barbados won most of the early tournaments, with nine titles of a possible 14 from 1965–66 to 1979–80, before the Combined Islands won their first title in 1980–81 after four runners-up spots in the preceding six seasons - becoming the last of the five teams to win a title.
Barbados won three more titles before the tournament was restricted in the 1986–87 season – instead of a round robin league, there were now two round robin groups, determined by geography. The league was back for the next season, however, renamed to Red Stripe Cup (from the beer brand Red Stripe
Red Stripe
Red Stripe is a Jamaican lager beer whose logo is a bold, diagonal red stripe. It is brewed by Desnoes & Geddes Limited, originally a soft drink manufacturer incorporated on July 31, 1918, by Kingston, Jamaica natives Eugene Peter Desnoes and Thomas Hargreaves Geddes...
). Leeward Islands won their first title in 1989–90, winning all five games in the league, but Barbados were back on top for the following season. No team managed to win for two seasons in a row for the next fourteen seasons, though Leeward Islands and Barbados exchanged the trophy for six seasons between 1993–94 and 1998–99. The WICB experimented with the format in these seasons - the 1995–96 saw a final match being played, while 1996–97 had a home-and-away round robin format (so ten matches in total). The following season, the Red Stripe withdrew as sponsor, and the tournament had to be renamed the President's Cup - and cut down to five matches a team once again. For 1998–99, the soft drink Busta came in as the tournament became the Busta Cup, and the tournament now got a semi-final and a final appended after the round robin.
Barbados and Jamaica dominated the 2000s, as they have shared the first six titles of the millennium – Barbados becoming the first team to defend their title since Jamaica did it in 1989. The 2000s also saw attempts to include teams from other nations, as England A
England A cricket team
The England Lions cricket team is a cricket team representing England and Wales. It is the "second-tier" of international English cricket below the full England cricket team, and is largely intended as a way for promising young cricketers to gain experience of playing international cricket...
, Bangladesh A
Bangladesh A cricket team
The Bangladesh A cricket team is a cricket team representing Bangladesh, and is the "second tier" of international Bangladeshi cricket below the full Bangladeshi cricket team. The team played its first game, against the full Pakistan side, in 2001/02...
, India A and Kenya
Kenyan cricket team
The Kenya national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Kenya in international cricket matches. They are considered one of the strongest of the associate member nations of the International Cricket Council, especially since reaching the semi-final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
all competed (in chronological order, one team each season), along with a university side known as West Indies B. The semi-finals were removed for the 2004–05 as was the West Indies B team and the tournament returned to a six-team league - this time with home and away matches, so a ten-game league with a final match between the top two teams. In the 2005-06 season the league returned to one round robin series so teams play five games before the top two play the Final.
Current structure
For 2007–08 the seven teams played each other once in a round robin format for the Carib Beer Cup. The top two teams then progressed to the final, where they played for the Carib Beer International Challenge. The tournament was held between January and March 2008. For 2008–09 the seven teams played each other twice in a double round robin format for the WICB Regional Four-Day Competition after Carib Beer could no longer keep to the terms of its sponsorship agreement. In the 2008/09 season, the Challenge final was scrapped from the season and the top league team will instead win the new Headley-Weekes Trophy. The tournament was held between January and April 2009.Points are to be awarded as follows:
- Outright win: 12 points (maximum)
- Tied match: 8 points
- Lost match: 0 points
- Abandoned match: 4 points
- Team batting last in a drawn match with scores tied: 8 points
- First innings win in drawn match: 6 points
- First innings win in lost match: 4 points
- First innings tie in drawn match: 4 points
- No decision on first innings: 4 points
- First innings tie in lost match: 3 points
- First innings loss in drawn match: 3 points
Winners
| Season | Team |
|---|---|
| 1965–66 | Barbados |
| 1966–67 | Barbados |
| 1967–68 | No competition |
| 1968–69 | Jamaica |
| 1969–70 | Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago cricket team The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team is the representative cricket team of the country of Trinidad and Tobago.The team takes part in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, with the best players selected for the West Indies... |
| 1970–71 | Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago cricket team The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team is the representative cricket team of the country of Trinidad and Tobago.The team takes part in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, with the best players selected for the West Indies... |
| 1971–72 | Barbados |
| 1972–73 | Guyana |
| 1973–74 | Barbados |
| 1974–75 | Guyana |
| 1975–76 | Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago cricket team The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team is the representative cricket team of the country of Trinidad and Tobago.The team takes part in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, with the best players selected for the West Indies... shared with Barbados |
| 1976–77 | Barbados |
| 1977–78 | Barbados |
| 1978–79 | Barbados |
| 1979–80 | Barbados |
| 1980–81 | Combined Islands Combined Islands cricket team The Combined Islands cricket team were a cricket team that represented the cricket-playing islands of the Lesser Antilles, excluding Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago who fielded their own teams. They played in 13 Shell Shield tournaments from 1965-66 to 1980-81, when they won their first title and... |
| 1981–82 | Barbados |
| 1982–83 | Guyana |
| 1983–84 | Barbados |
| 1984–85 | Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago cricket team The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team is the representative cricket team of the country of Trinidad and Tobago.The team takes part in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, with the best players selected for the West Indies... |
| 1985–86 | Barbados |
| 1986–87 | Guyana |
| 1987–88 | Jamaica |
| 1988–89 | Jamaica |
| 1989–90 | Leeward Islands Leeward Islands cricket team The Leeward Islands cricket team is a first class cricket team representing the member countries of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, a regional association which again is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. Contrary to the normal English definition of the Leeward Islands, Dominica is not... |
| 1990–91 | Barbados |
| 1991–92 | Jamaica |
| 1992–93 | Guyana |
| 1993–94 | Leeward Islands Leeward Islands cricket team The Leeward Islands cricket team is a first class cricket team representing the member countries of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, a regional association which again is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. Contrary to the normal English definition of the Leeward Islands, Dominica is not... |
| 1994–95 | Barbados |
| 1995–96 | Leeward Islands Leeward Islands cricket team The Leeward Islands cricket team is a first class cricket team representing the member countries of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, a regional association which again is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. Contrary to the normal English definition of the Leeward Islands, Dominica is not... |
| 1996–97 | Barbados |
| 1997–98 | Leeward Islands Leeward Islands cricket team The Leeward Islands cricket team is a first class cricket team representing the member countries of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, a regional association which again is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. Contrary to the normal English definition of the Leeward Islands, Dominica is not... shared with Guyana |
| 1998–99 | Barbados |
| 1999–2000 | Jamaica |
| 2000–01 | Barbados |
| 2001–02 | Jamaica |
| 2002–03 | Barbados |
| 2003–04 | Barbados |
| 2004–05 | Jamaica |
| 2005–06 2005-06 West Indian cricket season The 2005–06 West Indian cricket season includes all domestic cricket matches played by senior teams with first class status in the West Indies between October 2005 and March 2006, and also the international feats of the West Indies team, who is not scheduled to play any home games during this... |
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago cricket team The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team is the representative cricket team of the country of Trinidad and Tobago.The team takes part in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Regional Four Day Competition and the WICB Cup, with the best players selected for the West Indies... |
| 2006–07 | Barbados |
| 2007–08 | Jamaica |
| 2008–09 2008–09 Regional Four Day Competition The 2008–09 Regional Four Day Competition was the 43rd domestic first-class cricket tournament held in the West Indies, it took place from 9 January 2009 – 14 April 2009. Each team played the other twice, one played at home and the other away. Jamaica won the tournament after finishing top of the... |
Jamaica |
| 2009–10 2009–10 Regional Four Day Competition The 2009–10 Regional Four Day Competition was the 44th domestic first-class cricket tournament held in the West Indies, it took place from 8 January 2010 – 1 March 2010. Jamaica won the tournament after finishing top of the table with five wins from their six matches... |
Jamaica |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Regional Four Day Competition -Final:-Points allocation:Completed match* Outright win - 12* Loser if 1st Innings lead obtained - 4* Loser if tie on 1st Innings - 3* Loser if 1st Innings also lost - 0* Tie - 8Incomplete Match* 1st Innings lead - 6* 1st Innings loss - 3... |
Jamaica |
The above winners are of the league phase, since 2005/06 there has been a knock-out tournament (Carib Beer International Challenge) with qualification based on league position. In 2005/06 four teams progressed to the knock-out phase, initial league winners Trinidad and Tobago won the final against Barbados. In 2006/07 only the top two teams qualified, Barbados (as league champions) and Trinidad and Tobago (as league runners-up). The league form was reversed as Trinidad and Tobago defended their title with a 49 run win. Trinidad and Tobago reached their third successive final in 2007/08, this time losing to Jamaica. In 2008/09 the knock-out Carib Beer Challenge was discontinued.
Number of wins by team (since 1965-66)
| Team | Wins |
|---|---|
| Barbados | 19 (plus 1 shared) |
| Jamaica | 11 |
| Guyana | 5 (plus 1 shared) |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 4 (plus 1 shared) |
| Leeward Islands | 3 (plus 1 shared) |
| Combined Islands | 1 |
External links
- Discuss about Carib Beer Cup: Dedicated for Caribbean Cricket Fans.